MacBook A1181...good deal?

Personally I don't purchase MacBooks older that the white 2010 A1342 models. I put 8GB of memory in them and replace the HHD with a 500GB SSD. The machines run Mavericks and Yosemite just fine. I have done 4 of them for family and friends. I get the machines on eBay for $300-375.

 

A1181 is a wide range of models ranging from the original MacBook in 2006 to the mid 2009 MacBook. Depending on the year, it can be a great machine but I would negotiate the price a little bit. The early 2009 and mid 2009 were the only non-unibody MacBooks to run the latest version of OS X. If it is one of those I would say go for it. The older ones with at least a Core 2 Duo max out at Lion.

 

Every OS release has a page on the minimum requirements. I would not get something that will not run Mavericks.


OS X Mavericks: System Requirements
Learn about the system requirements for OS X Mavericks.

To install Mavericks, you need one of these Macs:

iMac (Mid-2007 or later)
MacBook (13-inch Aluminum, Late 2008), (13-inch, Early 2009 or later)
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid-2009 or later),
MacBook Pro (15-inch or 17-inch, Mid/Late 2007 or later)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or later)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or later)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or later)
Xserve (Early 2009)
Your Mac also needs:

OS X Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard v10.6.8 already installed
2 GB or more of memory
8 GB or more of available space

 

Snow Leopard would even run on an original Core Duo MacBook so that doesn't say much. When you are looking at it, go to --> About This Mac --> More Info and find the model identifier. It is normally something like "MacBook 5,2". You can then look at the information on MacTracker or Google.

 

Ask him for the serialnumber, than you can look up the detailed specs instead of guessing.

 

Let us know where the road takes you with this...

 

That was a wise decision. You should be able to get a 2009 white Macbook for about $200. If you pop a cheap SSD into it, it will run well.

Good luck!